"Adopting a child won't change the world, but it will change the world, for that child."

Family 2013

Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.

Monday, November 8, 2010

LOTS OF pictures :)

View out our 3rd apartments window. View was pretty but the apartment was kinda ..yuck.

First bath :):) Taya LOVED the water !

Taya looking a bit dazed....but oh so cute. Sweet Benji. He has been so amazing thru this all. So loving and trusting.

The night before we left to the airport for the first time, I found Taya laying like this just staring under the couch. Later is when the vomiting started.

When I first put Taya in her hospital crib with her monkey she slowing reached for him and just held his hand.

After 24 hours of fluids and antibiotics I was able to get her to sit up propped against the rail.

Daddy managed to get in one time long enough to give me a change of clothes for me and Taya and more diapers.Benji stayed down in the car with Yulia :)

A rare cuddle . When she was hooked up I couldn't really hold her, the lines were too short so I spent as much time holding her hands thru the rails with my chair next to her.

Looking SO much better. This is the night before we were to be picked up at 2am to head to the airport to try it again ;) I was able to get her to drink about half of bowl of a creamy soup broth by little drops. That was the first time she had eaten any food since before she started vomiting, Thursday I think. Doesn't she look so sweet and fragile in the big high chair?

My little fragile baby. Thank the Lord, she was a fighter and hung on until we could bring her home.I know the Lord watched over her. She was so close to passing away , just like her little friend Anne-Marie. I was so crushed to learn she had died before we came. I planned to hug her and let her know so many people were praying for her, and let her caregivers know we were trying to find her a mama and a papa . She is safe with Jesus now.

Look how cute she is ?? This is her going home outfit since the dress I bought was HUGE on her. This is an 18 month outfit with a onesie under it and tights :) The hat is by Maryann Shrum :)

Babies sleeping peacefully and dreaming I hope, of all the exciting things that will be ahead for them in the next chapter of their lives. We are so blessed and proud to be their parents! What if....we hadn't listened to the whispers in our hearts? What if I had listened to ALL the NO'S my husband gave me, and gave up?What if I said your right, it is too much, it is nuts, its not for us. What if I listened to others who thought it was crazy to adopt a child with Down syndrome especially 2 ! What if my husband had dug his heels in and thought of himself only? What if we decided 2 more kids would take Christmas gifts and extra goodies away from us and our kids at home? What if we hadn't listened to the signs GOD was showing us? what if we hadn't come in time ?

The what if is simple. Taya may be in Jesus' arms now. Benji would have been transferred to a home for invalid boys. A mental institution to you and me. He may or may not have made it to today. And we would have missed out on an amazing journey the Lord planned for us long ago. We would have missed meeting and loving our new friends at the church. We would have missed experiencing another way the Lord protected us. We would have missed seeing the orphans in distress with our own eyes. We would have missed seeing very poor people trying hard to do the best they can with so little. We would have missed out on these 2 amazing little children who love unconditionally even after so many have let them down. We would have regretted it for the rest of our lives.

10 comments:

Maria, you are amazing! Lots and lots of tears my dear friend. I have had so many people tell me that they are praying that the money we have donated is multiplied. How wonderful is that? You are such a blessing to me!

the two things I love most about your story is #1 the determined love you had for Taya from the start. and #2 how much of a blessing Benji is to you and what a leap of faith it was for you to commit to him.

So thankful sweet Taya is doing better. Looking forward to watching them both blossom at home surrounded by love, a forever mommy and daddy, and sweet sisters and brother. You are such an inspiration to me.

"...Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows that we know, and holds us responsible to ACT..." Proverbs 24:12"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -(Mahatma Gandhi)

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Taiya in the hospital in Europe

My baby struggling to survive 10/16/10

~Starfish~

2 friends were walking along the beach. The beach was littered with thousands of starfish that were drying up in the sun.As the 2 friends walked along,one of them bent down and picked up a starfish and carefully tossed it back to the sea. They could hardly walk without the man rescuing a poor starfish. As they continued , the one man asked his friend "why are you throwing these starfish back into the water? It doesnt matter" The friend smiled, As he tossed the starfish back to the sea , he simply said...

" It matters to this one."

Friends~

Blessed Joy

2013

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"Life isn't measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away"

~"With GOD nothing will be impossible" (Luke 1:37)~"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."(John 14:18)~'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'

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About Me

My husband and I live in Florida, raising our 7 beautiful children from different nations. 2 of our little gifts have Down syndrome. I am a stay at home mom and we homeschool our kids. We struggle to do the best we can and make a difference.We are raising our kids to love the Lord, and be kind,generous,strong & compassionate. Somedays things are great...other days...it feels like being pecked to death by chickens!!! NO..seriously.